Syria to vote in presidential elections on May 26

Syrian parliament has said that the country will vote in the presidential election next month on 26th May. The move is likely to maintain President Bashar al-Assad's grip on power. Assad is not expected to face serious opposition despite ongoing conflicts and economic crises.

Speaker of the People's Council of Syria Hammouda Sabbagh said that Syrians abroad will be able to vote at embassies on 20th May  while nominations start tomorrow. In Syria, an elected president gets a seven-year term to



serve.

After 10 years of war, the Syrian government now controls most of the big population centres in the country. About four lakh people have been killed and over half of Syrians have been displaced in the country due to civil war.

President Assad had taken over power following the death of his father Hafez in 2000. He had won the previous election in 2014, three years after a bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters and amid the raging conflict.